


D. Dead-Man

by RageAgainstTheNormal



Category: D.Gray-man
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Angst, Blood and Gore, Blood and Injury, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fights, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, M/M, Slow Burn, Tags/Relationship Tags Will Be Added As Chapters Go On
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-21
Updated: 2016-04-23
Packaged: 2018-05-22 08:39:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6072544
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RageAgainstTheNormal/pseuds/RageAgainstTheNormal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Exactly a year ago, the world fell apart. The dead rose, and humans succumbed to the dead. Only few survive, all pushed into Japan by the military. </p><p>Kanda Yuu, a survivor fights for his life, until he meets a small group of other survivors. Allen Walker and Lavi, who had found Howard Link on the way. The group must fight against the dead, survive the elements, and finally-Defeat a rogue group of cannibal humans, who have captured Lavi's ex-girlfriend, his old friend, Lenalee Lee. But, with Tyki Mikk leading the pack, things won't be easy for the group. Not to mention, with dead wanting to tear them apart, it makes things a bit more complicated. </p><p>(Allen/Link in later chapters, as well as Lenalee/Lavi.)<br/>Updates are once every three weeks as of now, because of my schedule!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Eek! I am honestly so pumped to be writing this! Updates will be at least once a week, depending on the length of the chapter and plot items I need to put in. The first few chapters will be fillers to set up the scenario, but rest assured, the drama and angst, as well as fluff, and gore, is coming! 
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own D.Gray-Man, nor the characters. Only the story!
> 
> IMPORTANT NOTE: Trigger warns ahead. Lots of gore, blood, and VERY brief mention of vomiting. (Trust me, I cringe at even written words, so it's literally three words of mention.)

The definition of ‘dead’ had changed. Humans were scarce now, with a superior race rising above them. These things had many names, but the fear was universal.

Walker.  
Shiki.  
Saifu.  
Non-Fleshy.  
The Dead.  
Monster.  
The Resurrected.   
The Brought Back.  
The Living Deceased.  
Undead.  
Soulless Corpse.  
Walking Dead.  
Biters.  
Cold Bodies.  
Rottens.  
Infected.  
Zombies.

There were many names, and personalities wandering around through the living as well. The survivors, one women would say. The hopeless, another wailing child would spat. Then came the blunt answer from a man; The Tragic Souls Who Must Wander the Burned Land of Sickness.

People dealt with the problems in different ways. Some cried and hid until they were found, or starved. Some jumped off a high place, or shot themselves, to save themselves from becoming infected, but to still not have to face the cruel reality of life another day. Some drove as far as they could, as fast as they could, looting stores for their last rush of happiness before death. Some went insane, and some became strangely calm. Some tried to make a cure, only to have it fail countless times. Then, there were the ones who fight. The ones who struggle and fight for every second of life, who grasp life by the reins, no matter how bad the pain is. The ones who will face danger every day in an attempt to gain back the world. The ones who still have faith in a better beginning. And finally, the ones who fight no matter what, no matter who they have to slaughter, no matter who left them, no matter how much faith they have lost. Those were the ones who somehow always met conflict, and somehow, met each other.

 

* * *

 

 

The blood was everywhere, as usual. His breath was ragged, forced, choked back by the blood pooling in his mouth, unable to help it. The male gagged, retched out the blood, but even so, it grew again. His body shook, violently, hands pressed on the hard concrete of the cracked sidewalk. Bodies were sprawled at his feet, all finally still—how they were supposed to be. Finally dead. The bodies all had the similar feature now, besides the rotting flesh, bulged and bleeding sockets, and bloodied gums, with missing skin—a slice through their brain by a sword, the edge obviously sharp. The sword, the male’s savior, was now stuck in one of the creature’s head, the blade piercing the brain directly, where the rotted flesh throbbed around the blade.

The male had finally gotten ahold of himself, pushing his shaking arms harder against the concrete, gritting his bloodied teeth. He refused to give up now, to die here in this hell-hole. Gagging again, bile rising up his already burning through, the dark haired male shuddering, lifting his arm to wipe his bloodied lips against his skin. Luckily, the blood on his lips was his own blood. The rest of it, the blood smeared against his beautiful sword, his clothes, and staining the ground—that was one of the monsters. The undead.

Carefully, the dark haired male pushed himself to his knees, letting out a half broken wheeze. Everything hurt, but by now, it was normal for the man. Kanda Yuu, who went through this almost daily, had accepted the pain, the blood, the death—it was all on his daily schedule.

Silently, Kanda let his dark eyes flutter open to observe the area. Nothing much changed in the last few months. Though, in the past year… That was a different story. He still remembered it, the way things were before.

The streets were filled with people, bikers, and cars, all with people living a normal life. Signs for food places and stories waved proudly from street poles, the wind ever so gently pushing them along. The street signs were bright, polished, and easy to read. It always smelled like fresh food and flowers on this street, no matter how much the dumpsters were filled. It was nice, very nice. The trees of the park were valiant pink and dusted in the wind, releasing petals of beautiful colors into the clean smelling air. The lamps shone brightly at night, with a romantic glow, lighting up the streets to the perfect level. Voices cried out happy things, calls to friends, and marketers called out about sales. In the past year, it had changed completely.

The streets were now empty, blood staining the concrete, and dead bodies littering the sides of the streets, or piled in turned over cars, all rusted and plastered with flesh. Occasionally, a heard of the dead would push through, snarling and stumbling through the rubble of buildings affected by bombs and decay. The roads were cracked. The street lights were busted, never to shine again, never to light up the dead streets. The wind only brought more odor from the rotting bodies and blood, making any living human pause for a moment and gag. The trees were rotted, the limbs strewn with guts and limbs of the plenty, blood dripping down the bark of the rotted tree. Everything was rotting at this point. The buildings, the unreadable signs, the blood, the bodies, the rusting cars, the dying trees, and the dying sounds of the poor humans who dared to try and fight a pack of the dead.

Kanda wheezed for breath again, bloodied hand slowly stretching out to grip the edge of his sword, before slowly standing, the sword pressing deeper and deeper into the dead’s brain as he did so. Kanda winced, yes, from the small scrapes he had, but luckily; Kanda could at least move. “Shit,” Kanda choked out, before stumbling fully to his feet, gaining his balance. At times, Kanda would leave from a pack slaughter unharmed. But, at unfortunate times like these, Kanda left severely injured and strained, his body past the stage of tired. Letting out a deep breath, the male wrapped his fingers tighter around the end of the sword, carefully tugging the blade, with occasional crunches of bone and squelches of grotesque material, Kanda finally stumbled back, the sword finally fully exposed.

Of course, the male let out a soft sigh of happiness. Without this sword—Kanda was practically screwed. The sword was helpful, and had sentimental value. Thus, Kanda didn’t plan to lose it anytime soon. Observing the sharp blade with a scowl, Kanda lifted his arm, wiping the dripping sword against his jacket, wiping the blood and gore against his sleeve, before flipping the sword, and doing the same to the other edge. It was a shame, though. Kanda liked the jacket. Clicking his tongue in annoyance, begrudgingly, the male shrugged the jacket off of his shoulders, letting the materiel flutter to the ground, covering one of the dead in the process.

“Fuckin’ things. You made me lose my jacket.” The dark haired male snarled darkly, eyes flittering to the corpses beneath him, all slaughtered quite brutally. For a moment, Kanda only glared, coldly, at the bodies. “You don’t even have the decency to reply? Why aren’t you dead?! Why couldn’t you stay in the grave?! Huh?!” Kanda snarled, raising a leg to swing it back, before kicking sharply at the dead’s head, each time making a new crunch of explosion of squishes and blood. His boots did damage. Panting heavily, in exhaustion and rage, Kanda finally stilled, boot crushed halfway through the corpses rotting skull, which now revealed the mushed insides of his brain. It’s brain, actually. These things didn’t deserve pronouns.

Taking in a deep breath of the odor filled hair, the male raised his head high, eyes adverting to the darkening sky. He hated this. He hated it all. It took a few moments of deathly silence before Kanda was finally calm, turning on his heel. Luckily, the male had a safe haven close by, along with known clothes’ stores on the way to the safe haven. At least not everything was going wrong this day. For now, anyways.

Kanda was determined, though. The male limped past the bodies, over the crumbling cars. It was a sight, the mess of rusty cars, the windows smashed or stained with blood and gore. Though, one thing caught Kanda’s eyes on the way. Inside one blue rusted car, a snarling dead was seen. The creature was missing everything except his head and torso, jaw broken and unhinged, blood dripping and pooling on the ground beneath him, his mangled body draped out the window. Snarling louder, the dead reached out a rotten arm, fingernails clawing through the air.

Hissing at the sight, weakly, Kanda limped over to the dead, pulling back his sword. In one clean, quick swipe of the blade, Kanda had cut straight through the dead’s head, leaving his brain and head in two, blood spilling from the mouth, and more grotesque materiel staining the streets of Ikebukoru. Japan was quick to be wiped out, the island almost instantly wiped out from the severe epidemic. Humans dropped like flies, the bodies piling in the streets. The rotting spread quickly, the epidemic only spreading faster after the bodies piled. The military declared the place dead, and stupidly, sent many survivors from all around the world to this island, where they vowed to kill the rest of the ‘zombies’ in the other countries. From then, no one in Japan, the dead island, has heard any word from the military, who was assumed dead.

Kanda decided to take over the job. He could wipe out many, he knew it. As many as he could take, before he dies. Kanda didn’t plan to go down easily, either.

“Die.” Kanda hissed out through gritted teeth, slicing his sword once more, with a crunch, through the dead’s spine one last time.

* * *

  
The walk to the store seemed to take forever, the male veering through dead bodies, rotting corpses, and trash of what seemed to be piles of pure flesh. Kanda sliced down perhaps eight dead in that time, easily slicing through their skulls and neck, letting the deformed bodied fall easily to the ground in a heap of blood and mangled flesh. Kanda basically left a trail to the store, with blood in consistent pools. The store was, surprisingly, in good condition. The windows were cracked, but not smashed. The store was only missing a handful of supplies, and frankly, it was most likely because of Kanda himself. Clothes were strung on racks, occasional chocolates still left in the drawers, along with random office supplies. Clean towels and such were packed tightly on the shelves, and random jewelry was displayed in cabinets, once locked by a key, but now—smashed to pieces, during the rush for money.

Pushing the door open carefully, sword raised behind him in a position to swing, Kanda’s eyes flittered around the place. Hesitantly, but loudly, Kanda suddenly cried out into the air. “Any of you stupid ---- out there?! Coming to eat my brains?!”

Luckily, it was silent. The wind whistled through the door, but all else was still in the store, only the hum of flickering lights running. It was a surprise to see the electricity working, really. It came and left in wild spurts of random choice. Honestly, it was like the devil was playing with them. Need supplies? Sure, they’ll be hidden. Need medicine? Sure, the store is full of dead. Need electricity? Sure, maybe in a month. Need clean water? Sure, but a dead will fall into it just before you get it. Life was cruel, Kanda had figured out. Though, he knew ever since five years ago, even before the fall of humans and societies.

* * *

  
Pushing away his memories quickly, the male released a deep sigh, limping farther over the broken glass with small crunches, dark eyes scanning the selection of clothes. “I can most likely carry a small supply load…” Kanda murmured to himself, reluctantly slipping his sword in the case on his belt, the sheathe fitting the blade like a wedding dress to a beautiful bride. It would at least be enough supplies to last him for a few more weeks, considering the amount of rations he still had buried in his cupboards. Bedding, clothes, and some food supplies were needed. No weapons would be found in this store, sadly. That would have to be a raid for another time.

The male spun around to face where the male section was, before briskly limp-stepping over to it, beneath the flickering lights. Kanda let a hand run over the fabric gently, feeling the material beneath his hands. The pants were a nice, light material. They wouldn’t do much for defense, but then again, the dead’s teeth couldn’t be stopped as much as he wished. Metal outfits would weigh him down, and eventually, the metal would be broken enough for death to come. This material would allow for speed. It was clean, as well. Snatching up a handful of pants, all different materials and colors, but luckily all his size, Kanda threw them over his shoulder. “Dammit. They have to have bags, right?” Kanda grumbled, turning towards the counter. Limping behind the counter, Kanda finally spotted plastic bags. Sighing slightly in relief, the male snatched one, letting it rustle open, before dumping the pants into the bag in a heap.

Shirts would be needed next, along with things to keep him warm. The store had blankets, yes, but female clothes could be used, sewed together, to make a blanket as well. The last female he knew… Kanda cringed. No, he couldn’t think of that right now. It would only make things worse in the end. Clinking his tongue at the growing throb of pain in his leg, Kanda returned back to the men’s clothes, this time grabbing a random pile of shirts, pushing them down into his bag, careful to use the clean part of his hand. It would be pointless to get bloodied clothes, after all.

It didn’t take much time for the male to then walk over to the shelves, observing them. Toothpaste was grabbed, new toothbrushes, and a pile of blankets that—luckily—also fit into his bag, without too much extra weight. Who knew a shopping bag could be so huge? Is this why girls were expensive?

Luckily, his supplies were all gathered, and just in time. The winds and chill of autumn nights had begun to set in, the sun only peeking above the wasteland of what was left of Japan. In these nights, where the horizon could be seen—Kanda grew curious. Were there any other survivors, or was he the only one left on this island? Where the other places completely dead, as well? Most refugees were shipped to Japan, yes, but—could there be humanity left out there? Turning his head towards the windows, where growling was heard, a smile of insanity slowly curled up his lips.

“No, it’s impossible. No one else could survive this.” Kanda answered his question aloud, before once again, his sword was pulled without a thought, and blood flew, splattering the ground for the fourth time that day.

* * *

 

  
“Gross.” Kanda hissed, dropping the bag at his feet, as the door quietly closed behind him. Blood dripped from him now, making splatters on his clean floor. “For fucks sake, I just cleaned, too.” Came another hiss from the male.

The motel was very nice, in fact. There had only been two dead when he came, and at that time, Kanda was able to push them out the window, not making a mess inside. Frankly, Kanda was lucky in that sense. The main kitchen of the motel was stocked with food when he came, as well. The three bedrooms were nicely done, only mild stains on the walls of the rooms. The main bathroom and bath was also done up nice, still having clean water in the onsen part of the bathing room. No blood, no bodies, no mess. The place had electricity most days, as the box was secured in the basement closet, not outdoors like most fuse boxes for public places.

Clicking his tongue once more, Kanda let his sword, in the sheath, drop to the ground, unclipping it from his jean’s loop. “Filthy,” The male commented once again, not hooking his bloodied thumbs in the loops of his pants, before sliding them down, carefully. Even so, Kanda still hissed in pain. The scrapes and bloodied wounds could now been seen on his legs, and sadly, Kanda was used to having wounds like these. They were closed, no longer bleeding, at least. His hands now slid over his skinny hipbones, thumbs dipping into the waistband of his boxers, also sliding that bloodied material down. He was soaked to the bone in blood, it seemed. Next the male lifted up his aching arms to grab his shirt, tugging it over his head, hair messily falling into his eyes. Kanda cringed, once again. Pushing his blood-matted bangs from his eyes, the male let the material drop to the floor, before extending an arm to flick the lights on. The windows were all blocked and stuffed with fabric, so of course, no sound, light, or smell would escape; the dead wouldn’t be able to find him.

Limping slowly down the hallway, feet quietly padding on the wood, Kanda let out  
Another sigh. Home, he was at his home. The danger was gone, and finally, the male could let his shoulders slump, and heart slowdown from beating fast—on alert. The male was happy to enter his bathroom, to let the lights flicker on to reveal the soft waves of water in the onsen, and the shower inviting him in. Finally, he would be free of the blood, the filth. Even thinking about it made Kanda cringe, a shiver running down his spine to settle in his shaking hands.

The male was quick to step up to the shower, hands lifting up to find his ponytail, fingers running through the matted strands. Kanda clicked his tongue again—this was certainly annoying to him. Carefully, trying not to rip out his tail in the process, Kanda pulled out the ponytail holder, tossing it onto the counter a few feet away from him. Long, blueish-black hair immediately fell with a slight smack, from the blood, onto his shoulders and back, only staining his skin once again. Luckily, it wouldn’t be for long this time.

Eyes flickering towards the shower, Kanda stepped up to it, happily, stepping carefully into the shower, careful to lift his injured leg over the railing slowly, until he braced a hand on the wall, with a sigh. As normal, his shower would be stained with blood that would have to be cleaned the next day, when Kanda felt like functioning properly once again.

Turning the knob of the hot water, with a slight twist of the cold, Kanda immediately groaned, in relief. Eyelashes fluttering closed, relaxed under the sudden drum of hot water washing the blood away from his back. He stood that way for a while, silent, soaking in the relief of having a place to be clean. Finally, Kanda dipped his head back, fingers running through his matted hair and bangs, letting the hot water wash away the clumps of flesh, and the dried blood that was sure to cause tangles if it wasn’t washed away immediately. The water ran red now, the red pools of watered down blood sifting away through the drain, leaving the white tile stained pinker and pinker each time a major clump fell. Reaching for the soap now, Kanda poured a generous amount into his hands, once again running his fingers through his hair, letting the soap foam a pink color, the rest of the dirt and blood being scrubbed away, his short fingernails gently scrubbing at his scalp, washing away every last bit of the filth. It all seemed perfect.

Except for his eyes being closed. The memories came then. The nightmares that were reality. The blood, the gore, the gagging humans, falling to their knees. The worst was of a girl, one he once knew very well. The girl no longer wore a smile, and had her neat brown hair combed back into braids. Her face was deformed, her eyes glazed, and snarls of the dead leaving her bloodied, rotten lips. She wasn’t herself anymore. Kanda knew that. So why, why—why did he have trouble when the sword sliced through what once used to be her smart brain, and beautiful face.

Gritting his teeth, Kanda slammed his fist against the wall, head dipped under the water, the warm liquid dripping over the sides of his face. “I couldn’t save you, I’m sorry.” Kanda choked out, voice strained, anger boiling in his tone once again. Those creatures, those saifu, they took her away from him. She was still young, had a life in front of her. So why, why her? Kanda clenched his fists harder against the wall, head now resting against the tile. The blood continued to pour down the drain, in a steady pool. But now, unseen to human eyes—salty tears were in the mix. 


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Allen and Lavi were efficiently surviving the Apocalypse until this dreadful day. Having to burn up their hide out, Allen and Lavi are stuck, and have to find a place to live, until--they hear a scream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter two, only one day late. Thanks to my beautiful beta, @NiamhNotishleen. *^*
> 
> I can't wait to introduce Link. AuGHH. Enjoy adorable Allen and Lavi, before I start to throw in drama. (Cough, Kanda, Cough.)

“Lavi! Hurry!” Allen yelled loudly, hands clawing desperately at the window sill. Snarling could still be heard behind him, and occasionally, wild blue eyes would flicker backwards, paranoid. The place was crawling with them. All over a stupid fire alarm. Why, for fuck’s sake, did it have to go off as a hoard passed by?!

A grunt came from behind him, and Allen paused in his process of prying the window open. Quickly, the male spun around, eyes meeting a sight he didn’t want to see.

“Lavi!” Allen screeched, at the male whom was behind him, trying very desperately to push a zombie away from him. Gritting his teeth, Allen raised one of his knifes, before quickly, letting it fly from his fingertips to sink into the zombie’s head.  Immediately, a gasp of relief came from his friend.

“Thanks, Allen.” Lavi panted out, scrambling away from the decaying body, the blood pooling at his feet. It wasn’t the only one coming, sadly. The bedroom door was being pounded on, desperately, and the snarling only grew. Reaching out towards Allen, Lavi placed a shaking hand on his shoulder, smiling weakly at the white haired male. “Let me try the window,” Lavi said, trying to regain his calm, as Allen had nodded, and moved quickly from the glass.

Lavi didn’t follow Allen’s example—he didn’t try to pry the window open. Instead, the male raised a fist, shirt now curled around his fist, before—with a hiss—the male let his fist fly. The glass shattered almost immediately, the shining pieces crashing and landing with a crumble to the ground, scattering against the grass of the yard. “So much for our hideout, huh?” Lavi murmured, with a dry laugh, before flicking away the last few pieces of glass that were hanging on to the frame of the window.

Allen only sighed, heart still beating wildly. “No kidding. I’m just glad you’re okay, you idiot,” the white haired male mused, stepping closer to the orange haired male, who snorted in response.

“That’s why I have you, Allen. If you hadn’t thought of this, we both would be dead,” Lavi retorted, coyly, before bracing his foot against the windowsill, clenching his fists. “Let’s go,” Lavi said, for perhaps the fifth time that morning, before once again, the reckless male took a jump. This time, literally. It took Allen’s breath away a little, but immediately after the other jumped, a reply was cried out.

“Clear down here! Hurry!” Lavi yelled, stumbling to stand up, now gazing up at the house. As Allen steadied himself, the loud thump of the door falling behind him, the male grit his teeth. Allen really hated heights. More so than that, though, he hated these creatures. Taking one last deep breath, Allen propelled himself out of the window, just out of the way of a grabbing hand of the creature behind him. His breath was stolen from him, but luckily, he was—saved?

Lavi only grunted. “You’re heavy,” Lavi croaked, before letting his friend down carefully from his opened arms, staring at the shocked male. “What? I’m not as weak as you think, idiot. Now light the matches,” Lavi said swiftly, eyes flickering towards the hoard of zombies that were now threatening to break down the front door, and the rest of the windows.

Allen blinked once, twice—before finally snapping to reality. Of course it surprised him, who wouldn’t it surprise? Though, he was quick to follow Lavi’s plan, nodding in response once. “Right,” Allen said sternly, before pulling out the box of maxes from his pocket. Lavi was insane, truly. To push through zombies while having frying pans taped to him, pouring gasoline everywhere… Lavi was a special kind of smart and reckless that was a danger to reckon with. Lavi had always been that way. Even when six years old, Lavi came out with strange plans from books he read, simply about how to snatch cookies from his own mother, or how to save Allen.

_ “I’m a superhero, Allen! Like the ones in the books! I’ll save you, okay?” _

Now, Allen had to pay him back. Quickly, Allen turned to face his friend, blue eyes scanning over Lavi’s face. The eyepatch, the headband, wild orange hair, kind brown eyes, and that same nervous smile tugged over his lips, lips trembling ever so slightly.  _ Lavi,  _ it was him. Really him.

Taking in a deep breath, Allen tugged out a match, quickly striking it against the edge of the match box, allowing the flame to strike up to par, the red and orange burning brightly. Without any more hesitation, Allen tossed the match forward, towards the first pile of gasoline. It was almost immediate, the flames roaring to life across the lines of gas, before bursting aflame against the wood of the home, and the rotting walls of the rooms. Allen was sure Lavi felt the same way now. It was hard to watch the place burn, the only place the two had known home for a while. Sadly, life wasn’t always kind. Both of them knew that really well.

“We’ll find a new home, don’t worry. Besides, we’re both intact,” Lavi tried to reason, stepping up to his friend with a ghost of a smile passing across his lips.

Allen only sighed, and slipped the box of matches back into his pocket. “I suppose you’re right—as usual,” Allen murmured in reply, lifting a hand to flick the bright haired male’s cheek. He had to try, at least try, to not let Lavi feel guilty.

Luckily, it seemed to be working. Lavi immediately supported a grin, which was strange for the man, seeing as he was covered in blood and faint scars and bruises. “Of course I’m right!” Lavi declared, before leaning over to ruffle the shorter boy’s hair, earning a scowl from Allen. But, a scowl was better than a frown, or tears. Lavi had to remember that. Besides, it was already a long day, and it was only morning. The day would only become longer and longer by the second, and become filled with blood and hardships once again. Lavi knew, and he was sure Allen knew as well—today would be a long day, and they had to find a new hideout, before more, bigger, hoards came.

Allen took in a deep breath, eyes slowly flickering towards the burning house once again. “All we’ve worked for, huh?” Allen murmured, eyes reflecting the flames that were now roaring, dancing across every part of the house. The dead were hanging out of the window, unaware of the flames scorching their bodies, their hand simply twitching in want of the flesh.

Lavi couldn’t help but sigh, and release a nod. “Yeah. We still have some supplies, though.” The orange haired male murmured, hesitantly meeting Allen’s point of direction, also observing the burning house. For the sixth time that day, Lavi spoke the dreaded words; “Let’s go, Allen.”

Allen had no choice but to agree, humming in response, before turning on his heel from the burning home. “Where should we head?” It was almost pointless to ask, as things were unexpected, rash, and frankly—Allen couldn’t read the street signs, as they were in Kanji.

Lavi shrugged, ever so slightly, and just like Allen, turned from the house, before picking up a brisk pace. “We can at least try and head towards Ikebukoru. It used to be a business town, so the buildings should have lots of stuff, and motels and such. We can always find something, Allen.” Lavi said, confidently, glancing back at Allen, who jogged slightly to catch up to his side.

Allen was silent, yes, but he was at least in agreement. Silently shifting his small bag on his shoulder, the male released a small sigh, breathily. The world officially was hell on Earth; assuming the Earth was still intact. If not, it was simply a wasteland, with Allen and Lavi wandering Japan. Were there more out there? Through the last year, Allen and Lavi had only ran into two other humans. One had shot at them, wildly, before shooting himself. The other was already dying, her arm torn to shreds by a zombie. Sadly, the two were unable to help her. 

“Maybe we can find a bookstore, and drawing supplies for free time, hmm?” Lavi said suddenly, hoping, desperately, that Allen would come out of his silent phase. When Allen was this quiet, things weren’t well. Lavi had been his friend since kindergarten, he knew better than to accept Allen’s brushed off words, and lies of being fine.

It took Allen a moment, but sure enough, the male’s lips slowly quirked up into a slow smile. “You and books, Lavi.” Allen mused, highly amused by his friend’s words.

Lavi was quick to retort, though, a grin forming on his lips. “You and mechanical pencils is another story. We would always go to that store after school in London just to get you your pencils,” Lavi recalled, smile only widening at Allen’s snort. “and the one time they didn’t have them, you honestly looked like you were going to cry. Probably because you saved all the money each week, right?” Lavi finished, glancing over at the white haired male.

Lavi was met with a soft smile, almost a sad one. “Yeah, it was. It let me draw, and have some time to myself.” Allen said, voice quiet and gentle. Lavi knew about Allen’s background, of course. Lavi went through it with Allen, saw the changes in his attitude, in his face, and the bruises starting to cover his body. The looks in his eyes changed to wounded, dark, and scarred. Allen had seen rough things, been through tough things—Lavi knew it all. But even so, Allen could still crack a grin at any time, and brush off the fact. There were triggers to his trauma, yes, but they were very rare. The day a man, wearing a cross and priest get up, with red hair showed up—well, there would be an immediate problem. Luckily, none of those things were here anymore.

They had found a church once. Allen had become cold, quiet, and was very violent with closing the doors, kicking the altar, even daring to spit at the cross. Lavi had never seen him react that way—ever. When they passed a church in school, the male would shake, yes, but never act out like that. Perhaps with this apocalypse, Allen had gained more freedom. It was anarchy, after all. The world leaders were all gone, to their knowledge. Frankly, anarchists threw the president of America into a pit with the dead. That made news until the coverage stopped, and all channels were blank, only reruns running on an older station until the power was cut. The world was theirs, and from they had seen—it was theirs only to rule, until death. Which hopefully, wouldn’t be soon.

“That’s how I feel with my books.” Lavi replied, finally, smile curling up his lips again. The smoke had finally left their noses, but the smell of rotting bodies still wafted through the air. It was wretched, all the dead bodies around—most tore to pieces. The blood pooled in divots in the cement, or by the clogged drains. It was filthy, disease ridden. If the plague that made the dead come alive was airborne—Lavi and Allen were as good a dead by now.

Allen snorted, to Lavi’s surprise. “Right. You would marry a book if you could,” The male replied dryly, obviously teasing his friend.

Lavi was quick to shoot back a comeback, of course. “It’s better than being single forever, Allen.” The bright haired boy cooed, slinging his bloodied arm around his friend’s, already bloodied, shoulders. The man even had the audacity to wink at Allen.

Immediately, Allen huffed. “If people were still alive, they would fawn over me, thanks.” Allen quipped back, but was obviously flustered. Even Allen knew that Lavi was right, once freaking again. Allen was past being hopeless in romance.

“Ohohoho?” Lavi giggled, waggling his eyebrows at his friend, obviously amused. “If we see any cute  _ living _ girls, go at it.” Lavi drawled out, swaying slightly, to Allen’s further annoyance.

“Honestly, you’re a child,” Allen huffed, before corrected his friend. “Boys. Not girls. You should know better, Lavi. Geez.” Allen murmured, embarrassingly red at this point. Though, it made Allen happy. This situation was so typical of Lavi and him in the past. It felt real, like there was still hope. Of course, that was a false dream, but after all, he had the right to imagine.

Lavi was only grinning farther at this point. “Allen! You could marry me then! My book  _ waifu _ won’t mind! It can be an open relationship!” Lavi exclaimed, quite loudly.

Allen coughed on his spit, stumbling slightly over his feet. Sure, he didn’t understand the Japanese part of Lavi’s speech, but he sure as hell knew what he said. “No way! I would never marry you! You’re too loud, and annoying! Your book is probably only dating you for the sex!” Allen wailed, shoving his elbow quite harshly against Lavi’s side, only met by another set of snickers and giggles from the male.

“ _ Anata no kao wa kuso desu.”  _ Lavi sniggered out, quite proud by his large vocabulary in Japanese. Sadly, Allen knew what it meant. Allen knew basics, and Lavi knew just a bit more than basics.

“Thanks. Your face is shit too, idiot.” Allen shot back in a sarcastic tone, which only made Lavi laugh harder.

Soon enough, the two were both laughing, smiling at each other like the world wasn’t ending around them, like they didn’t hear the growls behind them, and like Lavi hadn’t paused in his steps to wordlessly shove a dagger through a dead’s head, and simply flick the blood from his knife and gloves.

“Here.” Allen said suddenly, stopping directly in front of Lavi, whom squeaked lightly, placing his arms out to not run over his friend completely, and plow them into the bloodied ground of the street.

“Here?” Lavi repeated, following Allen’s gaze.

Truthfully, it wasn’t bad. The building wasn’t in shambles. The building was a soft cream color, the windows intact, with only dead flowers in the pots. There were no zombies hanging out the windows, either. The door still had a lock on it, with a faded sign above it, in Kana. The street also seemed calm, for the most part. Strangely enough, all of the dead had slices completely through their bodies, or all the way through their heads. It couldn’t be a human; could it? Lavi was of course pondering that, but his gaze quickly fell back to the Kana on the board. Instantly, he was filled with realization.

“ _ Toshokan.” _ Lavi whispered, at awe for a moment. “Library,” Lavi translated into English, chest swelling with a strange feeling. Turning to Allen, Lavi’s eye widened wider. “You knew-? You could read it?” Lavi was close to babbling now, hands trembling in front of him.

Of course, Lavi was met with a kind, amused smile. “I know basics. I’m not an idiot.” Allen retorted, shifting his foot, scuffing the bottom against the concrete. He seemed embarrassed, once again.

“Living in a library…” Lavi murmured, in awe, before this time—shooting forward on purpose, arms wrapping tightly around his friend, face burying into Allen’s hair. “Thank you,” Lavi whispered, before proceeding to repeat it roughly sixteen times.

Allen only laughed, and gently hugged his friend back. “You smell bad, go away.” Allen retorted, but, he was still embarrassed by his own actions, and the hug. Luckily, he was met with bubbly laughter, before Lavi finally pried himself away from Allen, bearing a huge grin.

“Deal. Let’s go inside! Come on!” Lavi said, frantic and excited to check out the library. Though, he knew better than to let his hopes get up too far. Places like this must be wanted for ransacking. The paper could be burned for fire material… The thought made Lavi cringe, however. Books being destroyed… It was like nails on chalkboards, times the square root of infinity. Also known as: Hell.

Allen returned the soft snicker, before nodding, carefully stepping up the stairs, hand wrapping around the door handle. Though, he didn’t pull it open yet. Lifting a fist, Allen pounded on the front door, loudly. It was still. No growling, no thumps—no nothing. It was a one story building, so luckily, there probably weren’t any out of hearing range. The white haired male paused, however, waiting for another thirty seconds. When there still was nothing, the male flashed a smile at Lavi, tugging the door open. “Ta da!” Allen chirped.

Almost immediately, Lavi darted inside, followed by a snickering Allen. The white haired male was right, of course. No zombies, no bodies—it was eerily clean for a place in this word. Lavi turned the corner of the hallway sharply, eyes scanning the main part of the library.

His threat throbbed a little from the sight. All the bookshelves were pushed against one wall, all empty, except for one shelf. Though it was small, Lavi was still excited to have at least something new to read. After all, this was reality; not getting what you wanted. Quietly, Lavi walked up the shelves, but even so, he could hear Allen sigh. “If you feel guilty, I’ll hit you. I still have books, and we have a nice place to sleep. It’s dark outside, and the power is on here. We just have to board up the windows.” Lavi said to Allen, before motioning to the bookshelves with a smile. “Let’s go!”

He chose to ignore Allen’s stubborn scowl.

(Line Break apparently hates me. So. Imaginary Line Here.)

“Took long enough,” Allen murmured, chest pumping up and down with deep breaths, hands placed against the wood, which was now nailed around every window, blocking any light from getting in, or escaping. The door was secured, and every inch of the place was secured and scanned. Finally.

Lavi laughed, breathlessly, jogging out of the bathrooms, back into the main room. “Only three hours.” Lavi replied coyly, earning another snort of displeasure from Allen. Though, Lavi was still happy. A place to sleep, Allen safe, and books… It was perfect. Releasing a deep sigh, Lavi happily strode up to Allen, opening his mouth to speak.

* * *

 

Though, he was cut off. By a very loud yell. Lavi and Allen both froze, still for a moment.

That’s when Allen reacted, sprinting across the room to grab his gun, followed by a knife being shoved in his pocket. “That was human,” Allen gritted out. “We have to save them.” There was no room for negotiation in his tone. Allen couldn’t let another human die. No, he would fight like hell to save this human, this  _ living being. _

Luckily, Lavi didn’t argue. The man was quick to follow, fixing his eyepatch, before snatching up his array of knives, and slinging a bow over his shoulder, along with the arrow bag. “Right. Let’s go.”

Eight times that day, Lavi had told them to go. This time, it was Allen who led, panting, sprinting, teeth gritted. The voice kept yelling, only paused for moments of silence, and small thuds. Allen was the one desperate now, the one leading the pack. Allen was the one most fueled to save this life. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come cry over anime with me on Tumblr. ( http://levi-friggin-ackerman.tumblr.com/ )
> 
> Or, come cry over anime with me on Instagram. ( @TrashyIzaya )
> 
> Comments and Kudo's always welcome and very appreciated! As always, constructive criticism is very welcome! Thank you very much for the read, and I hope you enjoyed it.
> 
> To request a writing, please see my Tumblr, and my guidline post, to show what I will write.  
> ( https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wvJJ2uEMYDuAcbej4-10B82VyUoSgtpPTvqRNdv95so/edit?usp=sharing )


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Allen and Lavi finally save Link from the herd of zombies, but half way through it, Link has to save Allen. Then, Allen and Lavi remember. They recognize Link, and he remembers them as well. Remembering their past fondly, the tired group heads home to clean up before sleeping.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally got to write mild fluffy Link/Allen. *^* 
> 
> Thanks to my wonderful beta, @NiamhNotIshleen for helping!~~
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own D.Gray-Man, or the beautiful creampuff characters. (Sadly.) I only own this story.

The determination Allen felt was unreal. A switch of adrenaline had been flipped in his body, sparking up and down his bones and nerves. These dead, these  _ scum _ creatures were attacking a living being. Allen wouldn’t just sit there, do nothing, or cry in fear. No—he had to fight. Allen was sure Lavi felt the same way. The male was darting just as fast after Allen, whipping around the corners of crumbling buildings, clutching his bow with white knuckles.

Allen was squeezing his gun just as hard, teeth gritted, muffling the harsh pants that left his lips. The scream was loud, far away, seeing as they weren’t there yet. Occasionally, they were met with a sudden snarl from their side, or dead hands reaching towards them. It was fast, the way Lavi would stab the knife into the zombie’s head with a grunt, or how Allen would cock back his gun, before firing. In these times, Allen was thankful for silencers on guns, and their stamina.

Allen turned around another corner, gritting his teeth tighter by the sight ahead of them. The ground was flat here, open, a park in the past. One large cherry blossom tree was in the middle of the dark grass, under the stars of night, surrounded by zombies. Sure enough, sounds of struggle came from the tree. A gun cocked, and Allen cried out.

“Don’t shoot! You’ll draw more in! We’ll handle it!” Allen yelled loudly, and right on cue, the growling was directed towards them. Luckily, Allen stumbled to a halt in his running, inhaling a deep breath of the cold spring air. “We mean no harm! We want to help!” Allen quickly added on, raising a knife in one hand, before switching it to the one that held the gun, the knife lodged between his fingers and the gun, fingers twitching on the trigger.

Lavi was quick to agree, and Allen could practically feel the grin Lavi wore. “We’ll save you, random person in distress!” Lavi called out, happily, but determination flared in his brown eyes. He seemed ecstatic, just like Allen, but without the overly serious flares. They were saving a fellow living person, who wouldn’t be excited?

Another rustle and sound came from the tree, followed by a silky, soft—yet shaky voice. “I mean no harm either. I’m injured, so please, focus on fighting. Thank you so very much. I owe you my life!” The man said, and through the dim light of the stars, Allen and Lavi could clearly spot a fist clenching a tree branch. The man wanted to fight too—they both admired that. Strangely enough, to the man, Allen and Lavi’s voices sounded familiar, just as to Allen and Lavi, the man sounded familiar.

“Don’t thank us yet!” Allen said, though, he was burning up with adrenaline. A human. A living being. Here, he could save another person, and make another stance for the remaining human race.

The two were put to work, and very fast at that. The herd of zombies was decently sized, all intact except for the occasional missing arm or chunk from their side, allowing the ribs to be shown, and for rotten flesh and blood to drip out. Allen started with his gun, getting the ones in the front to buy time for Lavi to load his bow. It was fast, easy, and simple, not much of a struggle in the dim light. The bullet flew perfectly, sinking into the dead’s head with a gurgle following the impact, and an explosion of blood against other dead and the grass. The bodies fell in heaps, other dead tripping over them, slowing them down. Lavi played in quickly, bow loaded with sharp tipped arrows. The arrows flew in clean shots, sinking into the flesh and skulls of the dead, before more thunks of bodies was heard. By now, all of the zombies were away from the tree, heading towards Allen and Lavi.

With a flurry of motion, and a grunt, a heap jumped quietly to the ground. Even in the dark, it was easy to see the male was limping, leaned against the tree, sharp knife in one hand.

It was the will of fighting, the inspiration that hit Allen again. The pack was increasingly smaller by the moment, but even so, he was out of bullets. With a disgruntled clink of his tongue, Allen rushed forward, raising his knife in hand. It was fast, the motion of the knife sinking into the dead’s skull, hot, thick blood splattering against his chest and neck. Hissing, Allen raised a hand to shove the dead away, pulling his bloodied knife from the head of the creature, before his blue eyes darted to the side. Only two remained, luckily. Lavi had got some work done too, it seemed, his friend also covered in blood, knife raised in his hand.

The white haired male darted to the side again, closer to the tree and the two remaining creatures, before his eyes hit something. It gleamed in the moonlight, a deadly reminder, a grim item.

The man they were saving had a cross necklace around his neck. It was silver, glimmering against the moonlight, the sight almost engraved in Allen’s blue eyes.

“Why,” Allen started, knife gripping tighter in his hand, blade stripping away a layer of skin from the tight squeezing. “do you wear that false shit on your neck?” Allen was almost furious, almost regretting saving the male at this point. A cross. The memories burned in his mind again. “Answer me!” Allen practically screamed, fists clenched even tighter now, teeth gritted together, grating against each other. His scar burned, like the memories itself were bringing back the feeling. The feeling of pain, suffering, screaming, laughing, crosses, blood, fluids, and that wretched—

“Before you insult my necklace, please consider you’re not safe yet!” The man from the tree suddenly yelled, voice sharper and stricter than the shy sounding voice from earlier. It was in a blur of motion and sounds that Allen finally realized what was actually going on around him.

Lavi was yelling, frantically reaching for his bow again. Allen was curious why, but soon found out. A hand was gripping his shoulder, one not of a human. Blue eyes were instantly turned wide, wild, and frantic. That’s when the blood splattered his face, and the shining knife from earlier was in sight, sticking from the dead’s head. The hand slid slowly, and the body hit the ground. The silence in that moment was almost deafening, Allen in horror from his pathetic tantrum, and the dead all finally still.

The man was stumbling forward now, face slowly becoming visible from the moonlight. The man had blonde hair, bangs choppy but nice on his forehead, the rest of his long hair in a messy braid on his shoulder. The man had soft brown eyes, with furrowed blonde eyebrows above them. Strangely enough, two black dots were perfectly lined up in a line on the man’s forehead. He wore a simple black long sleeved shirt, tears in it, showing pale bloodied skin. Last but not least, the shining silver cross was dangling from his neck to land on his upper chest. The man was an average height, but a few inches shorter than both Lavi and Allen. Sheaths for knives were hooked in the man’s waist belt, which in turn was connected to a pair of simple black pants, also with a large tear over the knee. Of course, the wound must have been why the man was limping. Trying to keep the blood inside himself it seemed. Simple black, blood stained boots concealed his feet from the cold air of Japan’s spring. The man’s hands were covered with gloves, black and also ripped. With a coat and tie, the man might as well have been a rich man with a good job. Perhaps he was, before this sickness hit, and the world almost literally crumbled and died.

The blood was sticky and hot against his cheek, and finally, Allen lifted a shaky hand to wipe it off. He felt ashamed. For one, he was distracted by a cross and almost died. If it wasn’t for this man, he would have been dead. Secondly, Allen was pretty sure he was going insane. Not only had the man’s voice sounded familiar, but he looked so familiar.

“Are you an idiot? You could have died, and then your friend here may have had to off you. Focus on the job at hand, please. Our race is extremely small as it is,” The man suddenly blurted, lips turned into a small scowl. “Even so, I’m thankful for you two saving me. I was in a very bad spot. I’m so happy to see I’m not the only one alive on this island after all.” The man continued, and Lavi only became both amused and interested. The man had a light Japanese accent, but spoke very fluent, and very formal, English.

Allen seemed embarrassed, and surely enough, a frown formed on his lips. “Sorry. Things like… that… aren’t my favorite things to see.” The male tried to explain, with a flinch. The cross was truly an eyesore. “I’ll accept that everyone has their own religion and stuff, but it just brings back memories. Sorry for the outburst.” Allen said sheepishly, still rubbing at the blood on his face.

Lavi still seemed amused, small snickers now leaving his lips. Deciding to test his cards, Lavi suddenly spoke in Japanese, grinning at the man.  _ “Thank you for saving Allen-Chan.”  _ Sure, the grammar was slightly strange, but it still came out as he intended.

As expected, the male stared at Lavi, lips quirking in recognition of his home language.  _ “Of course. You speak Japanese? That’s rare, even in Japan now. Most people here are from England or America, even me. I apologize for not introducing myself. My name is Link. Howard Link. It’s very nice to meet you two.”  _ Link replied in a much more fluent tone than Lavi had.

Finally, Allen and Lavi had the same reaction; confusion. Allen had been confused from the very beginning, only recognizing ‘thank you’ and his own name, with that dreaded honorific added to the end of it. Lavi, only knowing basic Japanese, became confused very quickly. Not only was that the man’s first language, but the speed and formality it was spoken in was horrifyingly above his level.

“Eh?” Allen asked, dumbly, met with a nervous laugh from Lavi.

“Ah, sorry. I only know basics of Japanese.” Lavi replied, lifting a bloodied hand to sheepishly run it through his hair, obviously very embarrassed.

The man only let out a soft sound which was probably amusement, lips doing the same quirk like before. “It’s rare for people to speak Japanese, even though we’re in Japan. Most people are from England or America, including me. I’m very sorry for not introducing myself. My name is Howard Link. It’s very nice to meet you both.” The man called Link repeated, only shortening a few things from his speech.

Allen and Lavi both let a small smile curl up their lips. Though, they each made a different approach to replying. Allen spoke first, extending a hand to Link.

“Again, sorry for my outburst. I’m Allen Walker. It’s nice to meet you too! I’m from Great Britain, just like my friend.” The white haired male said, happy as Link took his hand, shaking it gently, before both of their bloodied hands dropped to their sides again. Even though he was scolded from Link earlier, Allen didn’t hold grudges. Though, he had to admit, Allen refused to look at Link’s chest, where the cursed object was.

Lavi, on the other hand, grinned like a devil. “You don’t have to be so formal around us! Speak like a normal human being, Link!” The bright haired male said, reaching out a hand to happily pat the blonde’s shoulder, who seemed utterly surprised.

Luckily, Allen was quick to interject, flushed with embarrassment. “Sorry for him! Lavi’s a handful!” Allen said sheepishly, quickly gaining a hair ruffle, which he responded to with a sound in mock horror. His hair was already messy however, so he didn’t mind that much.

Link seemed amused at this point, brown eyes glittering from the moonlight. “Sorry. It’s natural to speak formal, I suppose.” The blonde said, before shifting, with a flinch, adjusting his injured leg. Slowly, Link narrowed his eyes at Allen.

This time, Allen really was horrified, holding up his hands immediately. “I’m really sorry!” Allen protested, but luckily, Link snorted.

“No, no. I’m not upset. You both just seem familiar. I’m from Great Britain as well,” Link said in a tone of amusement, and curiosity. His normal silky, soft voice was back, and strangely, Allen was—well—soothed by it.

Lavi squeaked, almost in excitement. “So I’m not crazy for thinking you looked familiar too?! What city are you from?” Lavi turned to Allen, wide eyed, and Allen returned the sentiment. Of course, he had thought Link looked very familiar too.

“London. I owned a small coffee shop next to an art store.” Link replied, pausing to bend down, with a grunt, and tug the knife from the nearby dead’s skull, before standing—shakily—again.

Allen was the one to gawk this time, with Lavi immediately behind him.

“’Busy Bean Café?’” Allen sputtered.

Surprised, Link nodded.

“We went there every other day!” Lavi cried.

“I recognize you now!” Link suddenly said, pointing at Allen first. “Allen Walker. Always ordered very sweet coffees with extra cream and chocolate to the point where it was almost ice cream. You sat in the front all the time, and chatted with me, or with Lavi—when he wasn’t reading and hushed you.” The blonde said, happily, tugging gently at his gloves. As mature and manly as Link’s appearance was, Allen was struck with a strange thought. Link seemed very cute, with the spark in his eyes, and his tone of speech, with the Japanese accent.

“Sugar is good! Wah, I miss your coffee.” Allen said in a wistful sigh, a small pout appearing on his lips. It was all coming back to him now. The way Link would scold him that his teeth were going to rot from all the sugar, and that it wasn’t even coffee anymore, and that he shouldn’t bug Lavi when he’s reading a good book. It was a fond memory, actually. The warm smiles from Link that were very rare for the man, the nice smell and even better taste of the coffee, and the soft chairs with nice music playing through the room. All of the people were nice and calm, and always friendly. Link’s scary looking boss was even nice, and had a sweet spot for Lavi, simply because they shared the same taste in books. Lavi was always happy there too, reading in his corner spot, or gushing to the boss about the new book he was reading. Lavi, unless with a book in his hands, was always so loud and cheerful with everyone in the café. “And your chocolates. The cookies…” Allen murmured, his voice followed by another sigh.

The boy lifted his gaze to meet Link’s, instantly surprised. This day was strange, he decided. Allen screamed over a cross, and had Link smiling at him again. Lavi seemed star struck still, unable to talk for once.

Link finally spoke, a light laugh in his voice, but only a ghost of it. Link was famous for being rare about smiles, laughs, and emotions in general. “I’m so very glad to see you’re both okay.” The blonde said, soft brown eyes not leaving Allen’s face, where gentle brown met a gentle blue. It was silent, content, a moment of remembrance, until Lavi burst out laughing.

“Man! You really can’t talk normal, can you? If we ever find sweet cooking material, I’m giving it to you, not Allen! That was horrible!” Lavi babbled, complaining simply about the time Lavi had found chocolate chips, and Allen, happily, declared he would make a nice treat with them—only to burn them to chocolate charcoal that was worse than tree bark. Allen was a blushing mess the whole time as Lavi gushed about Allen’s embarrassing times, but was happy to see Link with a ghost of a smile still on his lips, even if he was scolding Allen for his past actions roughly every minute. It was nice, being all together again. It was a small world after all. And even if the world was ending, Allen was content in this moment, and sure enough, Lavi and Link were both content in this moment as well, both looking pleased, even though being covered in grotesque material and blood matting in their hair.

* * *

 

Allen and Lavi didn’t realize how easy it was to get lost in the dark. Of course, Link would have helped, but he didn’t know the way back to the library. They had chatted for a while, before Link hissed from his leg, and Allen made a smart decision; to go home, clean up, and fix their wounds. No one protested about that.

Everyone was tired, too. It made things much worse. Allen had resorted to supporting Link, an arm wrapped around his bloodied waist, and Link with an arm around Allen’s shoulder, limping alongside of him. Allen couldn’t count how many times he had thanked him by now, all so formally worded and long. Link couldn’t count how many times Lavi teased him for it, and Allen scoffed at them both. Lavi had settled for fighting off the dead when they came by, which luckily, it was only one or two of them, and they couldn’t see well in the dark. It had to be past three am by now, and frankly, all of them were close to falling asleep.

Luckily, a cry of happiness broke the air, and Lavi pointed at the familiar sign, the scratched ‘ 図書館 ’ plain as day, even to their tired eyes.

“Finally,” Allen breathed, tiredly, helping Link limp closer to the door. It was as they left it, the door closed and the place still inviting. No one seemed to break in, luckily. Or so, no dead seemed to break in. Helping Link up the small step as Lavi opened the door, everyone let out a sigh. They were safe again, and this time, there was an extra member to their normal team of two. If it was a stranger, it would have taken lots of time to warm up to them. Even though Link was a generally distant person, Allen and Link both felt relaxed around him already. It helped knowing someone from the past—greatly, in fact.  

Link of course returned the sentiment, letting out a soft breath of relief as the door was swung open with a soft sound. The two hobbled inside, carefully, followed by a yawning Lavi, whom quickly shut and locked the door behind them again, board going across it with a soft thunk. Needless to say, it made them all feel safe.

“Let’s clean up before we stitch up anything. We definitely don’t want infections.” Lavi stated, shuddering at the idea, before pointing down the hall. “The bathroom is nice and clean. Sinks with running water is like heaven, I swear.” The bright haired male said cheerfully, starting to walk in that direction as he spoke.

Allen and Link were right behind him. Allen was quick to sigh happily, and adjust his arm around Link as they stepped onto the carpet of the hallway. “Man, running water…” Allen mused, breathily. Link only nodded, and returned a sigh of happiness. It was already better than what Link lived like before. He wasn’t alone now, either. As much as Link hated to admit it—he missed these brats, and loneliness really was crippling after a while of suffering through it.

Link had lived in a simple diner, boarding up the place, and sleeping in one of the booths. There was still food, luckily, and Link had been rationing it. He lived a simple life that year, attacking the dead that were outside of his home, and going for supply runs once a week. But yesterday, he woke to a smell of smoke. When he finally came to it, Link dreaded the sight. The whole street was in flames. Link fled, of course, attempting to outrun herds of the zombies. It worked, for a long while, until the park was approached. Three herds, all with many were approaching. Link had been able to hold them off for a while, until his leg was badly gouged by metal on the ground. In pain, and unable to do much, Link had scrambled into the tree, stabbing the ones who tried to climb. He had been ready to fire, to use his last resort, but then—Allen and Lavi appeared. Even now, the memory of Allen’s burning blue eyes was fresh in his mind. All three of them had fighting spirits, the will to survive. Link was already content in this situation.

Blinking away his thoughts, Link glanced up as the two hobbled into the bathroom, Lavi happily holding the door open for the two. “Thank you very much,” Link repeated for perhaps the sixtieth time that day, earning another snort from Lavi. This time, Allen also seemed amused.

“You saved my life too. You don’t have to thank me so much, Link.” Allen mused, gently helping Link to sit on a stool in front of the sink. “There’s a drain in the middle of the room, so don’t worry about making a mess, either.” Allen told Link with a slight grin, before walking up to the next sink, glancing up at the mirror with a light cringe.

“Regardless, I feel like I need to thank you.” Link protested stubbornly, glancing over at Allen, whom was still glaring at his reflection in the mirror. They were all messes, though. Allen’s white hair was soaked with blood, making it a hint of pink on the ends, some clumps of rotten flesh stuck in the strands. His face was smudged with blood as well, and his lip was bleeding. His chest and legs were the same, just as his arms—cut from small injuries and soaked in blood. Though, Lavi wasn’t any better. His bright colored hair was also stained with blood and flesh, and his eyepatch was slipping from his face, blood dripping messily from the bottom of it. Small cuts were on his cheek, letting even more blood drip onto his shoulders, which seemed to be completely soaked with blood. Link was also looking horrible. Hesitantly glancing in the mirror, Link also cringed. His blonde hair was matted with blood, and stuck in the messy braid of knotted hair. And damn, would it be painful to try and get out. Link refused to cut his hair, too. His braid was a pride, and even though it would be painful, he would have to deal with it. Just as the other two, his face was smudged with blood, along with his clothes. The gash on his leg wasn’t bleeding anymore, but the dried blood burned on the skin. If he was to stretch his leg quickly, Link was sure it would begin to bleed again.

“You both are idiots,” Lavi mused suddenly, turning on the water with a smile, both of amusement and happiness. “Allen, accept his thanks, and Link, limit it to ten or something’.” With those words said, Lavi carefully tugged the headband from his hair, making a sound close to a whine. “Man, my hair…” The male mused quietly to himself, examining the bright red-orange strands that were near to sticking straight up on his head, except for one side.

This time, it was Allen’s turn to snicker. “Yeah, we’re the idiots.” The male shot back, also turning on the water, a smile curling up his lips. Of course, Lavi was quick to scowl and flick water at Allen.

Now, Link was the one to snicker under his breath, before turning on the water, letting his hands run under the cool water, washing the disgusting blood away. It was a huge relief, having the sticky and grotesque material wash away. Or so, that was until cold water was sent over his head, making the blonde gasp loudly, back tensing. Immediately, his eyes darted sideways, meeting both Lavi’s and Allen’s sheepish smiles. Link scowled, but only a light scowl. “You both are still like this? Are you eternally thirteen?” Link drawled, in an almost teasing tone.

Allen and Lavi were in sync, giggling like children momentarily. If they weren’t soaked in blood, Link may have admitted that Allen’s smile was much like an innocent angel. Which wasn’t true at all, but he could dream. “Oops.” Allen said sheepishly, holding up his soaking wet hands, like asking for a truce, a surrender.

As childish as Link felt, the male huffed, and turned his head. Link knew how to act, how to perform to get what he wanted. It was a rare trick he didn’t use much, but even so, he could almost feel Allen’s frown. When he heard the small footsteps growing closer to him, Link knew it was working. The Pity Card. Immediately, Link stuck his hands under the water, before turning to smirk at Allen, throwing the water at him.

This time, Allen was the one to screech in horror from the cold water, wearing a betrayed look. On the other side of the room, Lavi was wheezing with laughter, almost toppling to the floor. Perhaps it was a much better day than they imagined.

* * *

 

Everyone was relaxed after the small water fight that had everyone laughing, except Link. Though, Link let out small snickers and actually smiled. It was rare, and strangely heartwarming to see Link that way. Allen was the one fastest to clean up after that. With his short straight hair, and minimal wounds, it seemed easy for him. Of course, Link wouldn’t admit that when Allen stripped his clothes to clean, then put on new ones, he couldn’t look—and his face was warm. Of course, Lavi and Allen seemed fine around each other. Link, on the other hand, refused to even look at the both of them even while they were simply missing a shirt. Luckily, like said, Allen was fast to clean up and dress, sighing happily when he was done. Lavi took a while longer, messing with his wild hair and turning away from the two to clean his eyepatch and the part of his face that was covered under it. The room was oddly quiet during that time. Link remembered Lavi with his eyepatch in the past, but it appeared to be a sad memory. It was the same way when Allen first took off his shirt. Link, before looking away, had seen a scar up his back. Again, the room was deadly silent for that moment. But even so, Lavi and Allen were clean and content now, both drying their hair with hand towels. But—Link was struggling with his hair. Link was fast with his body, not wanting anyone to see—shy with things like that. His leg was quickly wrapped in gauze, and luckily, he could move again. Allen had brought him clothes, but with his hair still dripping, Link was forced to go shirtless. It was almost torture, the exposure.

* * *

 

And sadly, his hair wouldn’t cooperate either. The long blonde strands were still tangled, but clean. The flesh was—luckily—out of the strands, and the blood, after a struggle of him leaning over the sink, was washed away. His face was also scrubbed clean in that time, but now, his hair was a giant mess of tangles, unable to be braided again without having to cut lots of his hair off. If anything, Link was okay sitting there for a few hours working out the mess—besides the fact he really wanted sleep. Link could almost fall asleep there, eyes heavy and body tired from the day of fighting and almost dying. Sighing in frustration, Link raised the small comb that was discovered in the bathroom once again, cringing as it touched the tangles in the back of his hair—stuck.

Though, there was a sudden touch to his shoulder. Link carefully turned around, gazing up at a smiling Allen. “I can do it. You’re going to sprain your arm doing it that way. Just tell me if it hurts.” Allen said suddenly, kneeling down behind Link, fingers carefully taking the comb.

Link was fast to protest. “Wait, Allen, it’s okay. You’ve done quite enough for me. You don’t need to do that, really.” The blonde sputtered out, but fell silent at a pinch on his shoulder.

“Hush,” Allen huffed out, but was still smiling. The white haired male was gentle, surprisingly. Allen had a hand holding strands of Link’s blonde hair, the other gently working the comb through the hard knots and tangles. It worked, too. Link could only sit in silence, almost in awe at the relaxing feeling. It wasn’t a struggle anymore, either. Link simply relaxed on the small stool as careful hands worked the comb through his tangled hair, slowly and gently getting it untangled once again. Here and there, a yawn would escape Allen’s lips, and with a scowl, Link would repeat it. Of course, Allen was fast to snicker, but even so, Link was grateful once again. Soon enough, the comb ran smoothly through all of his hair, and proudly, Allen stood back up, observing Link.

“There. Man, you have long hair.” The white haired boy said with a crooked grin, setting the brush down on the edge of the sink, before stretching, back cracking.

Embarrassed, Link nodded. “It’s easier to simply braid and leave it when it’s long. It stays out of my face, too. Thank you again, Allen.” Link said gently, lifting a—finally—clean hand to his hair, feeling the smoothness with a happy sound.

Allen quirked an eyebrow, seemingly amused. “You always braid your hair. You should leave it down for once.” The white haired male said with a shrug, before lifting a hand in a slight motion to the shirt on the towel rack. “When you’re done, come on out. Lavi’s setting up bedding for us all. I’m not sure what we can find, but at least we can sleep.” The male said happily, before stepping out of the bathroom, the door gently swinging closed behind him.

Link didn’t want to admit that he kept his hair down because of what Allen said. No, it had to be the cold night of spring. That was all. Even though he told himself that, Link found himself looking in the mirror and smiling, touching the brushed hair like it was a precious gift.

* * *

 

It didn’t take long for Link to pull on the plain white shirt and get enough courage to step out of the bathroom. The library was dark now, but a candle flickered off to the side. Squinting his eyes, Link carefully and quietly padded near the light, stepping into what had to be the main room. Sure enough, Lavi and Allen were sitting on a pile of blankets, a candle to the side of them, and a book in Lavi’s hands.

Allen was the first to look up at Link, smile immediately reappearing. “You actually kept your hair down.”

Link was grateful for the darkness this time, hiding the embarrassed flush rising up his cheeks. “It’s very cold at night, so I figured this may be smart.” He tried to say, with a slight shrug, but Lavi was snickering ever so softly, glancing ever so slightly up from his book, the page turning from his pale hands.

Lavi, out of hearing range for Link, leaned over to whisper to Allen, a smirk raising on his lips. “Trying to flirt already, Allen? He is pretty cute, and your type, though.” Lavi purred into Allen’s ear in a cheerful whisper.

Link could only stare as Allen elbowed Lavi quite hard, and Lavi fell over dramatically, whining and clutching his side, saying something about ‘the horror,’ and ‘I was only helping you!’ Link only shook his head with an amused shrug, padding closer to the blankets.

Allen, now jabbing Lavi in the side with a hand, turned to smile innocently at Link. “It looks nice! Anyways, like you said, it’s freezing outside, so we all decided to pile together, since there’s only three blankets.” Allen said, using his other hand to motion to the two they were under, and the one covering the cold floor.

Link blinked. Once. Twice. Three times. “Eh?” He asked, dumbly, only propelling Lavi’s sudden laughter even more, and the harder jabbing from Allen. Slowly blinking out of his daze, the blonde nodded. “Alright.” He said, almost reluctantly. It wasn’t like he minded, though. Frankly, it was just surprising, and the comment on his hair was still burning through his brain.

Finally, Lavi’s laughter died down, and turned into a yawn, which Allen echoed. Reluctantly, the bright haired male set the book down, the drowsiness growing in his eyes once again. Everyone was exhausted, that was obvious. For all of them, the day was long, and it was already close to morning. “Let’s not worry about when to get up tomorrow. We all need the rest.” Lavi murmured sleepily, turning to the candle. He didn’t blow it out yet, however. “Link, hurry up.” Lavi mused, teasingly, motioning to the makeshift bed on the ground.

To prove Lavi’s point, Allen also nodded, scooting more into the middle of the bed. It was thoughtful too, having Link sleep on the edge, seeing as he didn’t do the best with people. Link was quick to nod this time, bowing his head in a slight respectful motion, before walking over to the side of the blankets, carefully kneeling down. Instantly, Link felt the weight of sleep hit him again. Yawning again, Link gently laid down under the covers, before flipping them back over himself, careful to make sure Lavi still had enough of the blankets. Luckily, he did.

Allen made a soft noise of content, and Lavi let out a breathy sigh, the sight blowing the candle out. Instantly, the room was soaked in darkness again, and fell silent. This time, it was a comfortable silence, the three too exhausted to do anything. Lavi laid on his back, mouth parted to let out peaceful sounds of breathing, almost instantly asleep. Allen was curled on one side, facing Link, almost into a deep sleep. Link was also on his side, an arm underneath his own head like a pillow, caramel eyes slowly fluttering shut. Just as the other two, Link was instantly soothed with the feeling of sleep, letting it hit him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come cry over anime with me on Tumblr. ( http://levi-friggin-ackerman.tumblr.com/ )
> 
> Or, come cry over anime with me on Instagram. ( @TrashyIzaya )
> 
> Comments and Kudo's always welcome and very appreciated! As always, constructive criticism is very welcome! Thank you very much for the read, and I hope you enjoyed it.


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the early morning, Link sets out to find food. Happy and able to eat, both Lavi and Allen are extremely happy with him. Or so, until they hear a growl outside. But, what they aren't expecting is Kanda, and nor was Kanda expecting them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eep. This is one week late, and this chapter is unbeta'd. If you see any glaring mistakes, feel free to point them out!!
> 
> I was so excited to write one of the scenes in this chapter, but since this chapter is short and a filler, it took much longer for me to gain inspiration. ;-;
> 
> Disclaimer: I'm not Hoshino-San, sadly. I don't own D.Gray-Man, nor do I own the characters. Only the story!

Link soon found out that no matter how hard he tried, he could not sleep as long as Allen and Lavi. When he first woke, Link had simply laid there, waiting for the other to wake. Over the time, Link had acquired the skill of barely needing sleep. It had been perhaps an hour before Link became frustrated, and slipped from the bed. He ran through a quick morning routine first, still very pleased to see the bathroom with running water. First, Link had wetted down his hair to make it easier to comb, before tying it all back into a braid, pleased with the lack of knots. Next, Link proceeded to use a scrap of the hand soap, preserving it of course, to wash his face and hands once again, feeling the nice wave of ‘awake’ rushing through him again. Finally, Link had slipped on his shoes, and slid his now cleaned knife into his sheath, before strapping it around his waist once again. He was sure the two would be hungry, and frankly, so was he. It wasn’t like many wild animals survived, but Link had ideas, and was a good cook. He prided himself in that—the cooking abilities. Without another word, only a glance at the two, still deep asleep, Link had slipped from the door.

* * *

 

Allen woke to a smell. Meat, maybe? But, Allen was instantly conflicted, eyes twitching with sleepiness and confusion. Why would he smell meat? There was no screaming, sign of fire—no one was burning alive, at least. Concluding it was simply a dream, Allen rolled over on his side again, letting out a soft groan of content. It was warm… The blankets were nice… But, strangely, when Allen stretched his hand out, it brushed against cold blankets. Allen blinked sleepily, his eyes slowly fluttering open to where Link had been laying last night. Instead, the blankets were neatly smoothed down on that side, and sure enough—practically ice cold. The white haired male instantly frowned, lifting one hand to rub at his sleep filled eyes. Of course, he wouldn’t help but wonder where Link was. Almost on cue, a voice drifted across the room.

“Ah, you’re finally awake, Allen? I made some food.” Link’s whispering voice said. And sure enough, when Allen frowned in confusion and shifted into a sitting position, he found out Link wasn’t lying.

Link was smart in planning, it seemed. On the linoleum floor, far from any wood, Link had constructed a makeshift fire pit out of cinder blocks, all in a square, with crackling wood inside, flames dancing around like fairies in the wood. Over it, Link was dangling a large piece of meat, all cut into strips, from a piece of what appeared to be wire. Link simply sent a small smile at the other, poking the meat with another piece of wire.

Allen was only able to gawk for a moment, eyes wide at the sight of freshly cooked meat. For a moment, he really did think it was a dream. After all, where could you find good meat? They weren’t near water, and most fish were dead and infected from all the blood anyways. “How did you..?” Allen asked groggily, still in shock. Then, a thought hit him. Immediately, Allen’s face turned to one of horror, and the white haired male sat straight up. “You didn’t find a human and kill them, did you?! We can’t eat human meat!” Allen yelped out.

Luckily, Link was quick to wrinkle up his nose and shake his head vigorously. “Are you insane, Allen? If you truly wish to know what it is, it’s cat meat. A healthy cat, with edible meat.” Link stated, before using his piece of wire to gently stab a piece, turning it over, to reveal one side nicely cooked to a medium roast.

Allen hated the idea that he was eating a house pet, but even so, the male’s stomach growled loudly. Sheepishly blushing, eyes squinting from a smile that rose on his lips, Allen touched his stomach, as if it would help the hunger. Even though it was sad to hear they had stooped to the level of eating a cat excitement and hunger wildly flared through Allen. “I can’t believe you actually found food,” Allen sputtered out, until his eyes widened again as the smell hit his nose. It was nice. Delicious smelling. “Can we eat it  _ now _ ? Please, Link?! Link?!” Allen sputtered out, starting to kick the blankets away from his body, not even caring that he had kicked Lavi in the process.

Link only snorted, and nodded. “Of course. Cat meat expires fast too, so we can’t ration it. We can eat as much as we want.” Link confirmed, before flipping the last piece, checking the color of the meat. Confirming that it was done, and that Allen’s stomach was very loud, Link carefully laid all the strips of meat down on tinfoil he had found in a home nearby. In this case, it came in handy. Who knew tinfoil could be a life saver?

This time, Allen made a sound of utter happiness, before scrambling forward, away from the groggy waking Lavi, towards where Link was piercing the meat to make sure it was completely cooked. “This is amazing! I still can’t believe it! We can have good meat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!” Frankly, when it came to food, Allen and Lavi were both hopeless. The one time they actually had caught a rat on the streets, it had ended up being infected, and led to Lavi taking one bite, then vomiting it out. Though, he was lucky not to swallow it. Allen felt bad after that, considering Lavi could have died, and stuck to bark soup. Which really was simply bark boiled in water until it was somewhat edible. At least it had protein, he supposed. Still, it tasted quite awful.

Lavi was the one to make a noise now, confused and startled from all the noise. “Oi… What’s going on?” Lavi mumbled, half a wail, as he slowly sat up in the bed, wild red hair sticking up messily, eye dull and half open, his eyepatch even crooked over his other eye. Lavi looked like a mess, in short. Apparently sleeping had been no cinch for him.

Allen was quick to answer, wearing a smile as bright as the sun. “Link made us tons of good food! It’s all for today! We can’t ration it because it spoils quickly, so we get to eat all of this meat throughout today! Link’s a great cook, like always!” The male praised, blue eyes wide with happiness.

Link, on the other hand, was quite embarrassed by the male’s comment. “It’s simple to cook, but thank you for the compliment.” Link said quietly, not wanting to admit that his cheeks felt warmer than normal, and he couldn’t meet eyes with the other two at this point. Cooking was fun for Link as well. Truly, it was a joy just being able to cook in general. Even if it was a cat. With the world as it was now, animals didn’t really have protection. He would rather kill one than have a walker eat it instead. It would be worse for the animal in the end, after now. Now, they could all gain protein from the meat. With Allen being that damn skinny, he needed it, too.

Lavi practically choked on his own spit at the word ‘food.’ “Seriously?!” Lavi yelped out, eye wide, and bolted up from the blankets, legs still wobbly as he stood. “You were able to get food?!” Lavi repeated, in shock, staring at Link like he was a god or something of the sorts. His voice was still groggy, but even at this point, he was able to have the utter shocked tone evident in his voice.

Link waved his hand slightly, dismissing the fact. “Yes. It wasn’t that hard, Lavi. Come on, you two need to eat before the fresh pieces get cold.” Link instructed, happy that the two didn’t complain and were shuffling forward in a tired daze. Well, Lavi was perking up almost instantly, though. “With the amount of meat we have, you two can have two strips per meal.” Link added on, laying down the tinfoil and the wires he used as makeshift forks. Though, Link didn’t mention that he wasn’t going to eat as much as them. He wasn’t hungry. In all honestly, Link was older than those two. They needed more nutrients, and Link was used to a very small ration a day. His stomach had certainly shrank, and hunger was easier to ignore. At this point, he would have been happy with leaves or something.

Suddenly, Link’s thoughts were disrupted by the air leaving his lungs, and a heavy, loud squirming human on top of him. Of course, it was Lavi.

The bright haired male was practically wailing out ‘thank you’s’ as his arms were latched around Link’s chest. “You’re the best! I would go insane if I had bark stew one more day!” Lavi wailed dramatically, eyes wide and filled with gratefulness.

Link grunted slightly, blinking out the haze of the situation, before glancing up at the male who had tackled him to the floor. “Okay, okay!” Link said, somewhat disgruntled. “You’re skinny, but you’re not weightless, Lavi.” Link commented bluntly.

Lavi only huffed and squeezed the male tighter. “Accept the hug—then I’ll move!” The male said loudly.

“Lavi, you’re suffocating Link!” Allen deadpanned.

“Am not! He’s still breathing!”

“Idiot! Move!”

“You’re the idiot!”

The two continued bickering for a while, until Link actually did let out a wheeze. The idiot bright haired male apparently decided to shift his weight farther directly on the blonde’s chest. Luckily, this time, Lavi rolled to the side, but gained a soft stare of annoyance from Link. Even though Link was glaring, there was a strange fuzzy feeling inside him. Link didn’t know what it was yet. Maybe it was just not being alone anymore? Was he happy about that? Link was bad with telling feelings until it was too late, after all.

Allen laughed softly, lips curling into a kind smile, the smile even touching his scar this time. That also struck Link’s curiosity. What was the scar from? Even in the past, Link remembered seeing that oddly shaped scar over and under Allen’s eye. It looked painful too. “Lavi gets hyper like that sometimes. Sorry.” Allen said sheepishly, receiving a grin from Lavi in return.

“Sorry, Link! I was just happy!” Lavi said, before sitting up again, trying to smooth down his wild hair quickly. Sadly, it didn’t really happen. It simply stayed straight up and messy.

Link pulled on a coy look, sitting up and pushing his braid back over his shoulder. Link was tempted to insult him, but bit back the playful insult. Instead, he motioned to the food, amusement shining in his eyes. “Eat, Lavi. Or else I’ll give your portion to Allen and make you something from a tree.”

Lavi let a pout hit his lips, but was quick to slide over to the foil containing the fresh meat, stabbing one piece happily. “Thanks, Link. It smells great, too!” The male said with a happy sigh.

* * *

 

Allen was the next to approach the food, before happy sighs rang out across the room, along with Allen’s blinding smile. Link didn’t flush. Nope, not at all. It had to be the heat from the fire. Lavi ate very fast, but was almost scolded repeatedly from both Link and Allen about how he would get sick if he ate that fast. Though Allen said that, the boy wasn’t any better. Allen chowed down on his food like a happy animal, while Link attempted to cut the meat into pieces with his wire, refusing to eat a whole piece at a time unless he had to. After ten minutes, Link had given up, and stabbed his single piece, biting off small pieces at a time to work his stomach into the routine of eating good meat again. It had been a while for all of them, so smiles and sighs came even more frequent when the meal was ended. Lavi had laid back on the floor once he was finished, a wide smile stretched over his lips, before he excused himself to try and ‘tame his hair.’ Allen looked fine in the morning, surprisingly, the back of his hair tied back into a messy ball, but truly, it was a nice messy. Link had already freshened up, so the male was very strict with telling Allen that he could clean up the food and put out the fire. Luckily, the white haired male hadn’t protested much, leaving Link to cup water in his hands from the bathroom to put out the fire, and wrap the meat pieces tightly, leaving them against the cold counters of the bathroom. Because of this, they really wouldn’t last long, but it wasn’t like there would be a freezer in a library.

“Oi! Link!” Allen called out, as the male pushed open the door of the bathroom, walking out in his newly cleaned glory. When Link quirked an eyebrow, Allen’s smile was his only response for a moment, until the male got closer to the blonde. “Huh. I am taller than you.” Allen said randomly.

Link twitched slightly, and let his lips side into a purse. The younger male really was taller than him. How annoying. “Yes.” Link replied simply, mentally seething instead. Link was taller than Allen in the old days, but apparently the two had growth spurts. And large ones, at that.

“That wasn’t what I was going to say, though.” Allen added on, twisting his fingers around together, seemingly nervous. The boy hesitated, before opening up his arms. “Can I have a hug, too? I won’t tackle you, though.” Allen said sheepishly, blue eyes shining with a genuine look of kindness.

Link could have melted right there from the shy blush on Allen’s cheeks. This man… This old acquaintance of his… really was something. “A-Ah, sure.” Link sputtered, mentally cringing from his informal tone. It was an old habit that truly, had to be broken. Half of his mind wanted to be informal, but usually the formal side worked, simply because of an old habit. Forcing his limbs to work, and his cheeks to hold back a pink that was forming, the blonde hesitantly stepped forward, slowly and carefully wrapping his arms around the younger boy. It wasn’t a surprise that Allen immediately hugged him back and even wore a blinding, sweet smile on his lips. It was warm. Link hadn’t felt an internal warmth like this for a while. Truly, it was nice. But, the surprising part was that even in this unclean world, Allen somehow still smelled like strawberries and vanilla. Is that even possible for a guy to smell like that? Link pondered it, but would never admit that yes, it smelled very nice, and the hug was also nice. Though, Allen had no problem with letting a happy sound release from his lips, and fragile fingers curl in the fabric of Link’s black shirt. At this point, Link was burning up. His skin felt hot, his cheeks felt hot, and regrettably, his heart was pounding in his chest. Of course, Link couldn’t figure out why. And if Allen noticed, the male didn’t say anything. Instead, the two silently soaked in the warmth of each other’s arms, resting in the embrace. It was a thing seen in books, the instant bond that these two shared. In the past, though their connections were small and friendly, the fuzzy feeling was building in both of them. And whether they knew it or not, neither seemed to ponder it much in this moment. It was content, happy, and only growling was heard.

Link froze.

Allen also stiffened.

The bathroom door flew open, and Lavi came bustling out in a hurry just as the two broke apart. It was instant, the way Link unsheathed his knife, Allen tugged out a gun from his back pocket, and Lavi strung his bow bag over his shoulder, bow in hands. The eyes from them all shifted to cold, focused, and full of disgust. One was near. All it took was one look, one nod, and the three took off jogging towards the front door.

Lavi was the first one there, tugging the wood from the door handles and tossing it gently aside. Link was right behind him, unlocking the door, just as Allen tugged on the actual handle, allowing sunlight to flood in. Though, they weren’t expecting the sight in front of them.

And frankly, neither was Kanda expecting those doors to open, and humans to pour out.

-Earlier that day.-

It had been early in the morning when Kanda had left, wounds patched and bound, and dark eyes focused and filled with rage. These dead, these inhumane creatures took away everything from him. That thought was what propelled him during that day, gripping his sword and panting heavily, smeared with blood and gore. He lost count of how many hoards he encountered, and how many hoards he sliced to bits. Some, Kanda had even lingered there to completely dice them, body parts flying, and blood soaking the streets and walls. Everywhere Kanda limped had soon turned into a bloodbath. At this point, there were trails of blood from his boots, and blood dripping from his raven hair, which was tightly tied back in a ponytail.

It was when things finally calmed down when Kanda had limped down another street, dark eyes scanning it. It was the street just behind his hotel, yes Kanda had never stepped a foot inside this street. The pavements were littered with bodies, and the streets were lined up with various buildings. A diner, a few shops that were broken to bits, and a boarded up library. Kanda was almost curious when he saw the library, pausing in his shuffle, eyes scanning it. If it had any more books, the male would certainly want to check it out. Kanda had a good sized collection at home, but had breezed through them all, only very slowly reading the English printed books. Kanda was always up for improving his vocabulary, and could read most of the English letters, but pronouncing them and knowing what they meant was the hardest part. So far, Kanda could only say minimal things, such as ‘hello,’ ‘Japanese,’ ‘me,’ and ‘no.’ The ‘no’ was always strange to him, though, because it certainly wasn’t a grammar particle like it was in Japanese. Kanda was happy with his minimal vocabulary, though. English was hard.

Kanda’s thoughts were soon interrupted by a growl near the library. Clicking his tongue in annoyance, Kanda limped very quickly over to the growling dead, raising his katana back in the air, before cleaning slicing downward with a hiss of his own, the blood of the dead splattering all over his face and chest, before a loud bang of doors directed his attention sideways. On reaction, Kanda’s eyes went wide, and the sword was quickly slashed sideways, aiming at a white haired male’s neck, dark narrowed eyes meeting wide blue ones. In these times, no one knew if someone was a rogue human eater or not.

Frankly, Allen was most certainly not expecting the sword to his neck, and a dark haired man covered from head to toe in blood glaring at him. Link was frozen for a moment too, just as Lavi was slowly narrowing his eyes. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come cry over anime with me on Tumblr. ( http://levi-friggin-ackerman.tumblr.com/ )
> 
> Or, come cry over anime with me on Instagram. ( @TrashyIzaya )
> 
> Comments and Kudo's always welcome and very appreciated! As always, constructive criticism is very welcome! Thank you very much for the read, and I hope you enjoyed it.


	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The meet of Kanda and Allen's group. When Kanda finally drops the sword from Allen's neck, a strange compromise comes to play, and Allen couldn't be happier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOLY CRAP, LOOK, AN ACTUAL UPDATE. It's been forever, but thanks for sticking in there with me! ;-; Shorter chapter, but I was desperate and I owed you an update. From now on chapters will be shorter, but updates /should/ be faster.
> 
> Disclaimer (As Normal): Sadly, I'm not Hoshino. Thus, only the plot-line and wording is mine.

Time seemed to be frozen in that moment. The sharp blade was pressed just shy of Allen’s neck, luckily not leaving a scratch, but Kanda didn’t seem to be wanting to move back anytime soon. Trust, trust was certainly a problem for Kanda. How did he know if these people were good or bad? The dark haired male narrowed his eyes at the strangely white haired male, obviously not going to hesitate in slicing Allen’s head off if he said one thing wrong. Because of that sure fact, Allen found himself holding his hands up, gun dropping to the ground with a clatter.

“We’re good people! We won’t hurt you! Link, Lavi, stand down.” Allen said frantically, blue eyes flickering sideways for a moment, until they rested on the man in front of him again. Link had hesitated, just like Lavi, but the two of them reluctantly let their weapons hit the ground. Another human… But, this human was soaked to the bone in blood and had an aggressive look in his eyes. It wasn’t looking pretty for Allen, to say the least. Though, Kanda only looked confused now.

“ _English? Do you… Do you know Japanese?_ ” Kanda mused aloud, still not trusting the three in front of him, but it would be helpful to him if he didn’t kill potential allies. Maybe.

Now, it was Allen’s turn to look utterly and overly confused. Japanese? Well, shit. Maybe Link could save him here. Before Allen even asked, Link was already taking one step forward, hands in the air. Thank goodness. Maybe his head wouldn’t be sliced off that day.

“ _I’m the only fluent Japanese person here. Allen, the guy you’re about to slice to pieces, is a great guy. We mean no harm, and we’re very glad to see another human alive out in this rotten world. Please, stand down. You have our word not to attack._ ” Link replied fluently, brown eyes flickering from head to toe over the blood stained man, before he decided to introduce himself and Lavi as well. After all, he did want to see at least somewhat friendly. “ _My name is Link. The orange haired male is another in our group, Lavi._ ” Link said hesitantly, before slowly letting his hands drop back to his sides, only hoping the dark hared male would understand.

Apparently, he did. Kanda was silent for a moment, before swiftly redrawing his sword away from Allen’s neck, sliding it back into the holster that hung to his waist. Another Japanese person, huh? Thank goodness. They did seem… friendly enough. Kanda just hoped he wouldn’t regret this choice. The last time he trusted someone it didn’t turn out too well. Observing the relieved white haired male in front of him, then the male with the strange orange hair, and finally the formal blonde, Kanda spoke. “ _Link, huh? My name is Kanda._ ” The male said, but he didn’t know what else to say. Did anything happen now? Did he simply walk away with the new knowledge of other humans living on this wasteland of an island? Kanda didn’t like to depend on others, or invite them to his group, but Allen, the white haired kid, had a look in his eyes that was close to stubborn need. Kanda almost _knew_ what he was going to say. Or so, what Link was going to say, because Kanda had no idea how to speak English except a few words.

Right on que, Allen turned away from the intimidating male, glancing at Lavi and Link. “I say we invite him to join us. We shouldn’t take no for an answer. If there’s a human alive, we said we were going to take them in and make sure everyone we can possibly meet lives.” His words were firm, Lavi knew that determination well.

“He tried to _kill_ you! How can we trust him?!” Lavi retorted with a slight scowl, fingers curled in his shirt, gripping the area where his bow normally hung, obviously anxious, continuing to glance at Kanda slightly, before turning his attention to Allen again, who continued to stare stubbornly. “You’re kidding me, right?” Lavi continued, before letting out a deep sigh.

“We made a promise, Lavi. He was afraid. Most people are these days.” Allen snapped back at his friend with a slight frown, before glancing at Link, who appeared to look awkward and like he was considering backing away from the small argument. “Link, translate and tell him to come with us. Tell him that we have a safe place here at the library, and that all alive humans should stick together now a days.” Allen told the blonde stubbornly, as if he was a child asking Link to take his side against Lavi, who still looked reluctant to agree.

Link hesitated for a moment, but finally turned to Kanda. He did agree with Allen, though. He couldn’t just let Kanda go on his own. Not to mention, the male was covered in scrapes and some blood that probably was his own. “ _We want you to come with us. We are staying here, safe and with supplies at the library. All alive humans should stick together now. It’s only right. Please, we would like to have you in our group,_ ” Link said calmly, staring at Kanda.

Kanda was struck with surprise for a moment. He expected this to happen, but even so, the way Link said it, or Allen may have said it, was surprising. All humans should stick together? They thought that way? Was that really a good thing to do? It would be easier to kill and eliminate the dead, sure, but his trust issues still screamed protests at him. Not to mention, he didn’t want to abandon his hotel. “ _I… I don’t think I can do that. I just met you all, so I’m sure that you understand that I don’t trust you yet. So, no._ ” Kanda replied bluntly, face still wiped of all emotions except light irritation at this whole situation. Did normal people trust this easily?

Allen knew that word. No? The male denied? His name was Kanda, right? Brushing away the thought about possibly saying his name wrong, Allen simply sent a look at Link, as if telling him to continue again.

And Link did. The blonde parted his lips immediately, now wearing a stubborn look of his own. “ _I told you, you can trust us. You don’t have to immediately, and that’s fine. But we really want you to join our group. Please, we can’t just let another human go out alone. It’s not like you aren’t capable of anything, we aren’t saying that, but all of us working together… We could stop all this madness._ ” Link said, his own passionate words sinking into the mess.

Though Lavi didn’t understand barely anything, he understood ‘please.’ Allen really wanted Kanda to join… Was it just because it was another human? Or was there something special about this guy that he didn’t see? Sighing slightly, obviously giving in to Allen and Link’s want, the orange haired male bowed his head slightly. “ _Please,_ ” Lavi said in Japanese reluctantly, deciding to not say anymore, or so attempt to say anything more, than that.

Kanda, once again, hesitated. He didn’t have to trust him? Was this really the best decision for him? His mind was slowly clicking and formulating a response. After a moment of silence, staring at them all, Kanda replied with a slight ‘tch.’ “ _Fine. But, we’re staying at my home. I have running water, showers, lots of supplies, a safe lockdown, and two more rooms. I’m not sharing my room._ ”

Link, obviously pleased, turned to Allen. “He said fine, but we have to relocate to where he is. He has running water, showers, lots of supplies, a safe lockdown, and two more rooms. He doesn’t want to share his own room, though.”

Lavi was stunned. Kanda actually agreed? He looked to be much more stubborn than that, considering the sound of irritation he made, but perhaps that was just his shitty personality? Maye he had a mental problem? It could be something that he hadn’t considered. Lavi would have to give him a chance, regardless.

As for Allen, the grown male thrust his fists in the air triumphantly and cheered, blue eyes bright and filled with joy.

Strangely, Link found his lips daring to itch upwards at Allen’s joy. He still seemed like the kid Link knew and looked over before. Maybe much hasn’t changed. Maybe things would work out okay. Maybe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come cry over anime with me on Tumblr. ( http://levi-friggin-ackerman.tumblr.com/ )
> 
> Or, come cry over anime with me on Instagram. ( @TrashyIzaya )
> 
> Comments and Kudo's always welcome and very appreciated! As always, constructive criticism is very welcome! Thank you very much for the read, and I hope you enjoyed it.

**Author's Note:**

> Come cry over anime with me on Tumblr. ( http://levi-friggin-ackerman.tumblr.com/ )
> 
> Or, come cry over anime with me on Instagram. ( @TrashyIzaya )
> 
> Comments and Kudo's always welcome and very appreciated! As always, constructive criticism is very welcome! Thank you very much for the read, and I hope you enjoyed it.


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